1. Developmental and Educational Services for Lead Poisoned Children
Panelists:
Nathan DeDino, Part C Coordinator, Division of Policy and Strategic Direction, Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Wendy Grove, Ph.D., Director, Office of Early Learning and School Readiness, Ohio Department of Education
Moderator: Vanessa Butler, Policy Associate, Groundwork Ohio

2. Groundwork Ohio

3. Groundwork Staff

5. Why do we do it? We want to improve the lifelong success of Ohio’s children, and we know that starting early provides the greatest potential in order for this to happen.

6. Groundwork’s Race and Rural Equity work is an ongoing project or campaign, where we started investigating differences in between what our current early childhood policies are and the systems and programs try to advance in our state and how they are actually serving kids. In addition to some of the data that was explored at the state level, Groundwork began to become suspicious that despite knowing that things like child care, home visiting, and preschool are critical for low-income children, we were concerned that perhaps, if we weren’t looking at the disaggregated data that we weren’t actually doing justice for the kids who need interventions the most. We committed to looking at 26 metrics across the life-course of a child in Ohio, lead being one of those indicators, in order to truly get a sense of what it means to be a child in Ohio, and create a baseline of knowledge because this is data is not the type of information that policymakers are seeing. Policymakers like to talk about these issues along poverty lines, but we know that children of color and children in Appalachian regions are starting behind and consequently, staying behind. What you will find from this data is that the same kids are being affected, and these are statewide issues. I invite you to take a report home with you and digest the information as you see fit.

7. Lead poisoning can effect nearly every system and is especially harmful to children in their first five years of life because it disrupts the rapid brain development they are undergoing. Lead poisoning can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, speech and hearing problems, learning disabilities (e.g., reduced IQ, ADHD), behavioral problems (e.g. juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior) and preterm birth for pregnant moms. At very high levels, seizures, coma and even death. There is no way of reversing damage already done by lead poisoning.

8. In 2016, 162,185 children were tested for lead poisoning…of the 823,546 children under the age of six in Ohio.
In 2016, 162,185 kids were tested for lead poisoning of the total 823,546 kids under the age of six in Ohio. How this translates to percentages is this: 3% of the 0-5 year olds tested in Ohio had confirmed blood lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliters or greater. This accounts for fewer than 40% of our most at-risk kids.

9. This graph indicates that lead poisoning is a statewide issue, but is more so prevalent in urban and rural Appalachian regions.

10. The primary source of lead exposure among children is deteriorated lead-based paint (dust). Other sources include soil, water and consumer products. Children can also be exposed in utero through their mother’s blood supply. While there is no safe level of lead in the body, public health actions are recommended to be initiated when a child has blood lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood. Children living at or below the poverty line who live in older housing are at greater risk. Children of color and those living in older housing are also disproportionately affected by lead.

12. In 2016, out of the 162,185 tested statewide, there were 4,591 children ages 0-5 with confirmed blood lead levels of 5 µg/dL micrograms per deciliter) or greater. 1,303 children had confirmed blood levels of 10 µg/dL or greater.
*Confirmed cases are children who had a capillary test of 5 micrograms per deciliter or greater received a confirmatory venous blood draw test.
*Unconfirmed cases are children who had a capillary test of 5 µg/dL or greater and did not receive a confirmatory venous blood draw test.

13. As you can see, because there were more kids being tested in Cuyahoga, the number of cases of elevated lead levels per 1000 children for that region is much larger than in other regions. We don’t have regional data on the number of kids who were tested.

28. Preschool Special Education
Wendy Grove, PhD
Director, Office for Early Learning & School Readiness

29. Part B, Section 619 of IDEA provides Free & Appropriate Public Education to all children with disabilities from 3 years old.
Children receive preschool special education services through center-based and itinerant teacher service-delivery options.

30. Preschool Special Education
Preschool special education programs serve children ages 3 through 5 years (or, not yet in kindergarten).
Programs provide high quality preschool including requirements for comprehensive research based curriculum aligned to the Early Learning and Development Standards, use of assessments to inform instruction, health and developmental screenings, teacher credentials, and family engagement.

31. Preschool Special Education
Preschool Special Education classrooms must be 3-star rated in the state’s tiered quality rating & improvement system: Step Up to Quality in Ohio
Preschool children must be served in their Least Restrictive Environment, which includes community settings or home: Where he would be if he did not have a disability
Schools cannot decide on their own where a child can be served
Must be SUTQ rated at 3 stars or higher when PSE classrooms
But, children need to be served in their LRE

32. Preschool Special Education
Both federal and state funds
State law & rules to implement federal law
(See Ohio Administrative Code section )
Evaluation to determine eligibility must occur
One of 14 disability categories that impacts education
Program is not income-dependent
 Annually
$14,554,749 (federal)
$104,000,000 (GRF)
Categories:
(a) Autism;
(b) Cognitive disability;
(c) Deaf-blindness;
(d) Deafness;
(e) Emotional disturbance;
(f) Hearing impairment;
(g) Multiple disabilities;
(h) Orthopedic impairment;
(i) Other health impairment;
(j) Specific learning impairment;
(k) Speech or language impairment;
(l) Traumatic brain injury;
(m) Visual impairment; or
(n) Developmental delay, as defined

33. Preschool Special Education: Evaluation
Transition occurs between 2 yrs 3 months and 2 yrs 9 months from Part C/Early Intervention
School district of residence is responsible, even if child is in private child care or preschool
Timelines: Parent consent or prior written notice that school does not suspect disability within 30 days of request; Full evaluation within 60 days of written consent
TPC is REQUIRED
LEA notification is required

34. Preschool Special Education: Evaluation
Elevated Lead levels will not automatically qualify a child for Special Education
Multiple pieces of information required for eligibility determination
Likely categories of eligibility include:
Other Health Impairment
Developmental Delay

35. Developmental Delay as an eligibility category cannot continue into kindergarten
Individual Education Program (IEP) is the plan document used in education
Parents are an equal member of the IEP team who makes decisions about goals and service placement
Re-evaluation occurs at kindergarten & every 3 years thereafter

36. Preschool Special Education
Every rule in Operating Standards applies to preschool
Rule are the EXTRA requirements that apply because of child’s age. These include:
Ratios for classrooms
Developmental delay category
Transportation for access given PS is not universal

37. Questions?
Wendy Grove